Richard M. Wilner

Richard M. Wilner is a founding shareholder of Wilner & O’Reilly, APLC and an immigration attorney based in Orange, California. He is certified by the State Bar of California as a specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law. Mr. Wilner advises middle-market and emerging businesses, entrepreneurs, and foreign nationals, including individuals of extraordinary ability in athletics, the arts, and the sciences. His practice focuses on complex U.S. immigration and nationality matters, particularly employment-based immigration strategies.

Mr. Wilner earned his J.D. from McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific, and an LL.M. in Transnational Business Practice through McGeorge and the University of Salzburg in Austria. He also holds a Certificate in International Law from the National University of Singapore and B.A. degrees in Philosophy and Religious Studies from the University of California, Riverside. His academic and international background supports his work on immigration matters involving cross-border business, mobility, and federal law.

Mr. Wilner also handles selected immigration and federal court litigation, primarily involving employment-based immigration issues. His work includes challenges to agency delays, denials, and unlawful adjudications involving USCIS and related agencies, as well as matters arising under the Administrative Procedure Act and federal immigration statutes. He has represented clients in matters with significant legal, business, or policy implications and combines strategic immigration counseling with litigation when court intervention is necessary to address agency action.

Richard M. Wilner is admitted in California and before several federal courts, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has served on the State Bar of California’s Immigration and Nationality Law Advisory Commission and previously co-chaired the Orange County Bar Association’s Immigration Law Section. His recognitions include a Martindale-Hubbell AV Rating, Super Lawyers recognition since 2007, and the Veterans Legal Institute’s 2016 Lawyer of the Year award. He also provides pro bono immigration representation to active-duty U.S. military members.

Law Office Affiliations

• Founding Shareholder, Wilner & O’Reilly, APLC
• Member, The State Bar of California
• Member, Orange County Bar Association
• Member, Orange County Jewish Bar Association
• Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association

Licensed State

• California

Education

• McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific/University of Salzburg (Austria)
  LL.M
• University of the Pacific – McGeorge School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• University of California
  B.A. in Philosophy

Awards & Badges